Fluid-pressure engine



FLUID PRESSURE ENGINE Filed oche, 1943 s sheets-,sheet 1 F. E. swAlNFLUID PRESSURE ENGINE Filed oct. a. 194s s sheets-sheet' 2 www y F. E.swAlN FLUID PRESSURE ENGINE ocr. 23, 1945.l

Filed oct. a, 1943 :s sheetssheet s Y Patented Oct. 23, 1945FLUm-rREssURE ENGINE Frank Edward Swain, Ewell, England ApplicationOctober 8, 1943,' Serial No. 505,543

In Great Britain November 11, 1942 7 Claims. `(Cl. 12S- 50) Thisinvention relates to a fluid-:pressure engine, for example, aninternal-combustion engine or a compressor, of the kind of which thecylinders, coacting with pistons, have radially-extending axes. Thecylinders may be arranged in a circle with their axes in a plane atrightangles to the crankshaft axis, or in two or more parallel circles.Alternatively, they may beV arranged side-by-side in a single line or intwo or more lines.

Objects and advantages of the invention will Fbe understood from thefollowing description in which reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings. i

According to the invention, one of each of the said coacting members(piston or cylinder) is connected to a Z-type crankshaft, the axes ofthe cylinder, of the crankshaft, and of the inclined pin thereof, allmeeting at a point. .If the said coacting member be connected withoneend oi the inclined pin, it will be completely reciprocated once foreach revolution of the crankshaft. If it be connected to a lug extendingfrom the centre of the adjacent side of the inclined pin it will becompletely reciprocated twice for each crankshaft revolution. Thepistons may be stationary, the cylinders being connected to thecrankshaft, instead of the more usual arrangement of reciprocatingpiston and stationary cylinder. Alternatively each of the coactingmembers (piston and cylinder-the latter formed as a sleeve valve ifdesired) may be connected to opposite ends of the inclined crankpin. Orone of them may be connected to the near side of the centre of the pin(for double recprocation) and the other to one end thereof. t

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a flat-twin internal-combustionengine according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a part-sectional elevation of a double V-twininternal-combustion engine also in accordance with the invention;

Figure 3 is a cross-section `of the engine of Figure 2; Y Y

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of another form of internal-combustionengine, according to ,the invention, with the piston shown in elevation;and

Figure 5 is a'sectional elevation, rather similar to that of Figure 4,of yet another form of internal-combustion engine according to theinvention. y

The same reference numerals are used throughwhen the pistons are atin-centre.

out the Various figures as far as possible to denote similar parts.

In the construction of Figure 1, II represents the inclined pinof aZ-type crankshaft I2 having a sleeve I3 journalled on the pin, `and inthis case opposite ends of the sleeve carry lugs I4, I4 connected byconnecting rods I5, I5 to pistons I6, I6 respectively reciprocable indiametrically-opposite cylinder bores. The engine in question is atwo-stroke engine with crank case compression, having transfer passagesI1, I'I leading fromthe crank case to the cylinder bores (the inlet tothe crank case is not shown), whilst the ports I3, I8 are exhaust ports.The cylinders are, of course, stationary, the cylinder heads beingindicated bythe chain lines I9. The pistons work in unison, and thechain lines Ilia, represent the positions of the connecting rods It willbe observed that the axis of the cylinder marked X, the axis of thecrankshaft marked Y and the axisV of the inclined pin I I marked Z allmeet at a point, as shown in Figure l.

It Will be evident that during one complete revolutionof the crankshafteach piston is completely reciprocated (up and down) once.

Figures 2 and 3 show a four-cylinder tWostroke engine with two pairs ofradial, side-byside cylinders 2 I, 22, indicated by chain lines,arranged with their axes in two planes at rightangles to one another.The engine is,I in fact, a double V-twin.

In the present instance, the coacting members include pistons I5 whichare stationary and reciprocating sleeve-Valve cylinders 24 which areworked from lugs at the ends of sleeves I3 on the inclined portions IIof the crankshaft. 'Ihe two inclined portions II, II are in thisinstance essentially a single inclined portion with an intermediatevbearing portion. cylinders 24 of each pair (2| or 22) of stationarycylinders, being connected to opposite ends of the double inclinedportion, are out of step, as shown clearly in Figure 2. Each isreciprocated completely only once for each crankshaft revolution.

The pistons in this case may be water-cooled, 26 (Figures 2 and 3)indicating outlet passages and 2l (Figure 3) an inlet passage.

The left-hand sleeve-valve cylinder 24 in Figure 2 is shown at itsin-centre position, in which ignition is occurring and the power strokebeginning. The right-hand cylinder 24 of Figure 2 is shown at itsout-stroke position in which its inlet ports 29 are aligned withcorresponding ports leading to passages 30 in the stationary cylinderblock and through which the charge may be introduced. 3| represents anexhaust port in a sleeve-valve cylinder 24.

In the present instance, the axially-outer ends 33 of the sleeve-valvecylinders 24 serve as compressor pistons, to compress the charge .anddeliver it to a receiver, connected with the passages 30 whence it isreturned to the interior of the sleeve-valve cylinders through the inletports 23 when the sleeve-valve cylinders reach the out-centre positionsand the ports are placed in the open position. The ports 29 and SI itwill be observed, trace out a complete ellipse during each crankshaftrevolution and very satisfactory porting can be provided by a suitableshaping of the ports, the opening of the ports being controlled mainlyby the rotary movement of the sleeve-Valve cylinders 24. Y

In the construction of Figure 4, as applied to a multiple-row', radialengine (only one pair of coacting members being shown in detail), boththe piston I5 and the cylinder 24 adapted as a sleeve valve arerespectively connected by connecting rods I5 with lugs on the same sideand at opposite ends of the sleeve I3 journalled upon the inclinedportion II of the crankshaft I2. Thus, the coacting piston and cylinderare oppositely reciprocated, each again effecting only one completereciprocation for each crankshaft revolution. In this example 29 againrepresents an inlet port and 3l an exhaust Dort in thesleevevalvecylinder. As opposed thrusts are applied alongthe connecting rods I5 (asindicated by the arrows) the resultant thrust on the sleeve I3 (in anaxial direction) Will be very small.

Here again the outer face 33 of the sleeve-valve cylinder is adapted asa pump for generating a suitable air pressure for supply to the inlet ofthe engine.

In this example, there is a diametrically-opposite piston andsleeve-'valve cylinder (not shown) respectively connected by theconnecting rods I 5b to lugs at the opposite ends of the sleeve I3 anddiametrically opposite the lugs to which the connecting rods I5 areconnected. The two sleevevalve cylinders, it will be observed, arereciprocated 180 out of phase, as are also the two pistons I6, anarrangement which is very applicable to a flat twin.

The construction of Figure 5 has much in common with that of Figure 4except that here the connecting rods I5 and I5b are forked at theirradially-inner ends and connected in pairs' to pairs of trunnions 35 atopposite ends of the sleeve I3, this arrangement also being veryapplicable to an opposed twin construction or more particularly to aflat multi-cylinder arrangement with two banks of in-line cylinders,only the mid- 6 dle cylinder of one bank being shown in detail.

The inclined pins II of the crankshaft I2 will be mounted at differentinclinations to one another as necessary to give a desired firing 01`erWhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. A fluid-pressure engine having a ported cylinder, a piston coactingtherewith, one of the members being reciprocable with respect to theother, and a Z-type crankshaft, the axes of the said one member, of thecrankshaft, and of the inclined pin thereof, all meeting at a point.

2. A fluid-pressure engine having a Z-type crankshaft, a ported cylinderwith its axis extending radially of the crankshaft axis, a pistoncoacting with said cylinder, and a sleeve journalled on the inclined pinof the crankshaft, one of said coacting'members being connected to'saidsleeve so as to be reciprocated with respect toy theother coactingmember on the rotation of the crankshaft, the axes of the reciprocatingmember, of the crankshaft and of the inclined pin thereof, all meetingat oneV point.k 3. A fluid-pressure engine having a Z-type crankshaft, aported cylinder with its axis extending radially of the crankshaft axis,a piston coacting with said cylinder, and a sleeve journalled on theinclined pin of the crankshaft one of said coacting members beingconnected to one end of said sleeve so as to be completely reciprocatedonce for each crankshaft revolution, the axes of the reciprocatingmember, of the crankshaft and of the inclined pin thereof, all meetingat one point.

4. A iiuid-pressure engine having a Z-type cranlshaft, a stationarypiston with its axis extending radially of the crankshaft axis, a sleevejournalled on the inclined pin of said crankshaft and a ported cylindercoacting with said piston and connected to Said sleeve so as to bereciprocated on rotation of the crankshaft, the axes of the cylinder, ofthe crankshaft and of the inclined pin thereof, all meeting at onepoint.

5. A uid-pressure engine having a Z-type crankshaft, a sleeve journalledon the inclined pin of the crankshaft, radially-extending portedcylinders with piston therein, and connecting rods by Which each pistonand cylinder are connected to spaced points of the sleeve so as to bereciprocated out of phase during rotation of the crankshaft, the axes ofthe reciprocating members, of the crankshaft and of the inclined pinthereof, all meeting at one point.

6. A two-stroke internal-combustion engine, according to claim 4, inwhich the radially-outer end of the cylinder serves as an air pump.

7. A two-stroke internal-combustion engine, according to claim 5, inwhich the radially-outer end of the cylinder serves as an air pump.

FRANK EDWARD SWAIN.

